Frederick mclewbe



(No Mode1,)

F. MOLEWEE.

SIGN.

tented Oct. 13, 1885.

N. PETEna mow-urnugnpm, wnmngwn. ma

` having the contour of letters.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK MCLEWEE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,135, dated October 13,1885.

Application filed June 18, 1884. Serial No. 135,210. (No model.)

ToaZZ whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK MCLEWEE, of New York, in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented a cert-ain new and useful Improvement in Illuminated Signs, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement consists in a sign, the combination of a hollow body-piece adapted to receive a burner within it, openings in the bodypiece of the contour of letters or ligures, opal glass or like material arranged at the said openings in the body-piece, and a series of protuberant colored glasses arranged opposite openings in the body-piece.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a face view of a sign embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures.

A designates the body-piece of the sign. It may be made of sheet metal or other suitable material. As here shown, it has within it a gas-burner, B, although any other burner may be used in it, if preferable. The burner B is provided with a nipple, b, to which may be attached "a gas-pipe, or by which the sign, if a small one, may be secured to a gas-pipe so as to be supported by the latter.

In the bottom of the body-piece are numerous openings, a, affording provision for the entrance of air to support combustion. The top of the body-piece has an opening whence the products of combustion may escape.

In the sides of the body-piece are openings Behind these openings are plates C of opal glass or other similar material. These plates are held in place by metal clips c, which are soldered to the body-piece and extend over the edges of the plates. The portions of the plates which are visible through the openings form letters of a color preferably contrasting with the color of the body-piece. They are translucent;

hence when the burner is lit within the bodypiece they will be illuminated. Clearly defined letters, which will be conspicuous through the day, and at night, while illuminated, are thus produced.

D designates protuberant button -shaped pieces of glass, fitted in openings d in the sides of the body-piece. They have shanks e extending through the openings d, and lugs e extending from the shanks. The openings d are too small in diameter to permit thelugs e" to pass through them, except at certain points where their edges are indented to permit the lugs e' to pass through them. After the Shanks of the button-shaped pieces of glass are inserted in the openings cl, the said buttonshaped pieces are turned around to bring the lugs e out of line with the indented portions o f the openings d. A wire, E, is passed around the shank of each button, between the lugs e thereof and the sides of the bodypiece, so as to secure the button-shaped pieces in place. These protuberant button-shaped pieces of glass are attractive by day and very brilliant by night, when illuminated. They can be seen even by persons who are not in position to see the letters, and when the sign is in full view they form such a contrast to the letters as to make the sign very attractive.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, in a sign, cfa hollow bodypiece adapted to receive a burner within it, openings in the body-piece of the contour of letters or figures, opal glass or like material arranged at the said openings of the bodypiece, and a series of protuberant colored glasses arranged opposite openings in the body-piece, substantially as specified. y

FREDERICK MGLEWEE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM G. LIIJsEY, T. J. KEANE. 

